The New York Knicks’ late-game execution could still use work, but they eked out a win over the Orlando Magic 94 to 93.
Both teams are plagued by injuries, entering the night missing multiple point guards. That may have contributed to the low-scoring outputs and the back-to-back turnovers in the game’s final minute. First, Reggie Bullock gave up a jump ball while the Knicks were up, and the shot clock was off, then he forced a turnover to win the game. That’s the night in a nutshell. A back and forth affair with as many errors as there were bright spots.
While neither team had a point guard, Tom Thibodeau turned Julius Randle into a point-forward. The big man turned in a career-high assist tally that had fans eyeing the old single-game record that Chris Duhon holds. Three-point shooters carried the night with big performances from Burks, Bullock, and Ntilikina. The game was a perimeter battle for everybody not named RJ Barrett, whose ascent continues with another strong night. Let’s have a closer look at the night through the players.
Knicks starters make a quick change and then get to work
Frank Ntilikina: Frank Ntilikina got the start by process of elimination. With Rose, Payton, Quickley, and Rivers out, there weren’t many options. That made Ntilikina’s slow start tough to watch. He bricked his first couple of shots and missed a free throw ugly. But Ntilikina stayed on the court for defense early, picking up some impressive possessions. When he finally saw a three-pointer fall in the third quarter, Ntilikina became a completely different player. His confidence came back. There was a swagger in his dribble, and he used that to not just hit some more threes but dunk on Vucevic…this counts.
In 27 minutes of action, Frank put up 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, and a slew of deflected passes. He shot 4/9 from the field, 3/7 from three, and 2/3 from the free-throw line. Just as his stat-line suggests, the French Prince wasn’t utilized like a typical point guard. He would throw a swing pass as soon as he got the ball across half-court and then cut to a corner. That made Nitty more of a 3 and D wing than a lead guard. This worked because Randle and RJ were so effective on the ball. Ntilikina has thrived in that wing role for most of the season, while he has struggled in a lead guard role.
I’ve focused on offense so far because it’s the part of Frank’s game that we always watch for. His defensive play is generally assumed to be good, but it was especially strong against Orlando. In the fourth quarter, he shut down a drive, then rotated to deny a pass to a cutter before rotating to a third man to contest a shot. That’s the type of boost he gave the defense. He also followed that play with a go-ahead three-pointer that set the Knicks up to carry the game. It was a big night for the Frank Hive. He grabs a 2.5 out of 5 on impact, a starter quality rating.
Alec Burks: Alec Burks shot well in his first start but pressed a little out the gate. He found himself benched early and switching to a back-up point guard role. That worked out, as Burks propelled the bench unit with his jumper. He played similarly to Immanuel Quickley if you replace the floater with a mid-range jump shot. The scorer also played spirited defense and attacked the boards, rounding out a good performance.
Burks finished his night in 33 minutes, dropping 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 turnover. He shot 9/18 from the field, 3/6 from three, and 0/1 from the line. He had a clear, offensive-minded approach and led the team in scoring. Burks’ attack came with a series of slick midrange attacks, but he made his final shot a floater. That was a fitting close to his IQ-like performance and gave the Knicks just enough of a lead to hang on. I don’t trust the efficiency to stay so high when he relies on jumpers, but the scoring will be sustainable if he gets to the line more.
It probably wasn’t the start that Alec Burks envisioned, but he had a good game regardless. Switching into a second-unit role proved helpful, as the gunslinger was allowed to fire away in the offensively anemic group. He was huge in the second quarter as a pair of young forwards put up goose eggs. We’re starting to see the shooter from the early part of the season, which bodes well for the team. He comes away with a 3.5 out of 5.
RJ Barrett: The Magic are a big, long team, and that created problems for most Knicks that work inside. RJ Barrett didn’t really have those issues. He sliced and diced the defense inside, doing most damage on cuts, euro steps, and power moves. RJ’s buckets felt timely, catching the intervals where unlikely scorers were slowing down and helping to keep momentum. It’s hard to describe, but he played like a leader. Randle wasn’t scoring at will, so when the offense needed a boost, Barrett stepped up.
The Maple Mamba put up 17 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers in 42 minutes of action. He couldn’t sit in the second half. He shot 7/15 from the field, 1/3 from three, and 2/3 from the free-throw line. Barrett’s been developing a nice rapport with Randle. That was on display as RJ cut into the lane for easy lay-ups while Randle drew attention as the ball-handler. The players seemed to read each other’s minds, and it led to some of the nicest assists on the night.
Barrett’s night could easily get lost in the shuffle of overachievers, season-highs, and career highs. But he was out there 40+ minutes for a reason. RJ stepped but as a steady presence throughout the night on an injury depleted roster. He nets a 3 out of 5 on the night.
Julius Randle: The Magic had big bodies to throw at Julius Randle and slow him down enough for double-teams to be effective. They effectively kept Randle from being the dominant scorer we’ve seen in other games. But their focus on stopping the Knicks’ star helped to turn him into an assist machine. Randle operated at the top of the key and from the post with a mind to pick out his teammates. He fed RJ on cuts, wings for three’s and even assisted Noel on a jump shot. This was a true point-forward performance to go with typical rebounding and solid scoring. In other words, Randle got his third triple-double of the season.
Randle got another 40 minutes of action and produced 18 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds, and 2 TO’s. He shot 8/20 from the field, 1/5 from three, and 1/2 from the free-throw line. Randle missed some jumpers that he’d usually make from the midrange that would have given his field goal percentage and scoring a bump. But Orlando’s focus on containing Randle is the reason New York had so many hot hands from three. They capped his scoring, but he just used the attention to feed everyone else. This wasn’t just Randle taking what was given either. There were multiple plays where he seemed to work toward a specific hot hand. When Frank hit a three, Randle found him again. The Knicks’ star was building his teammates’ confidence.
It seems like I do this after every game, but Julius Randle’s growth is astounding. He’s putting up numbers that only elite players can come close to, and we’re well past the sample size for this to be a fluke. He’s a smarter player with better vision than I’d given him credit for last year. This system turns him into a Swiss army knife with an answer for any defense…as long as he has shooters around him. Randle’s taken a role that players like Joakim Noah and Draymond Green have excelled at but added a legitimate dominant scoring ability to the threat. For hitting his third triple-double of the season, Randle grabs a 5 out of 5.
Nerlens Noel: The players who suffered most against Orlando’s giants were our own big men. Nerlens Noel didn’t score at the rim once and had to replace rebounding with trying to Vucevic off the boards. He had as quiet a night as he’s had since entering the starting line-up. That didn’t stop him from blocking Evan Fournier in the first quarter. He did a decent job in shorter minutes than usual.
Noel dropped 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in 17 minutes on 1/2 from the field. His presence was legitimately missed in the middle defensively. Orlando got more easy baskets at the rim than Knicks fans have grown accustomed to seeing. He hit a baby jumper along the baseline. That was it for his offense. He made some things happen defensively, especially during a third-quarter run with Frank and Bullock chasing players on the perimeter.
They say styles make fights, and NBA match-ups are the same way. The Orlando Magic, with its jumbo line-ups, is a bit of kryptonite to Noel. He struggles with the bigger, stronger opponents he faces. That said, his role and minutes dipped to back-up territory. This kept him from running into too much trouble and putting a lid on his impact. He did a solid job for a back-up big and gets a 2 out of 5.
Knicks’ depleted bench finds a couple of quality performances
Reggie Bullock: The birthday run continues for Reggie Bullock, who has been on a tear lately. He moved to the second unit to start this game but quickly replaced Burks and got to work with his partner in crime, Randle. From there, Bullock was a three-point machine and produced inside the arc as well. He added some assists to his usual workload and had a sequence to close the game that reminded me of an old Jamal Crawford buzzer-beating win. Let’s run through his production, then I’ll tell you all about it.
Reggie put up 20 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 turnover. He shot 7/16 from the field and 6/13 from three. He hit some midrange pops to go with his usual three-point bombs. But let’s get back to how this game ended. I just finished complaining about Reggie’s mistakes to close out games in the last recap. He had another major blunder in this one.
With 22 seconds left in the game and the Knicks up by 1 point, Bullock received an inbounds pass and turned it over. He was looking for a foul and got trapped for a jump ball. But in a moment of redemption, he was able to make a game-winning steal against the same player that robbed him of game-winning free throw attempts (Evan Fournier). It was a defender’s version of the time Crawford turned the ball over, stole it back, and then hit a three to win.
I’ve been harsh on Reggie Bullock for most of this season. His three point shot had been less consistent and his defense wasn’t making up for the bad shooting nights. But as time has worn on, he’s become more and more consistent from three. He has developed an amazing chemistry with Julius Randle with both players feeding off each other. Now, with the team racked by injuries we’re seeing Bullock step up his scoring. This was his best game of the season and I couldn’t be happier that he made up for his mistake at the end. Bullock gets a 3.5 out of 5.
Taj Gibson: Taj Gibson has stepped up in a big way as the Knicks’ third big man. Against Orlando, his numbers weren’t flashy but his work was visible in the middle. He had the same task as Noel, keep Orlando’s bigs away from second chances. Those physical battles saw him play starter’s minutes with positive impact.
The numbers aren’t wild. Gibson put up 3 points, 6 rebounds, a block, and a turnover in 31 minutes of action. There were times where he failed to meet slashers at the rim which even Clyde called out. But he was game for physicality with Nikola Vucevic, Mo Bamba, and Khem Birch. That made a world of difference and helped the wings to high rebound tallies. Taj found bodies under the rim and trusted his teammates to do the rest.
This game is a good example of who Taj has been this season. He does a lot of quietly effective work while the rest of the roster reaps the rewards. He’s usually facing bigger guys or tough match-ups and never blinks. It’s obvious why Tom Thibodeau brings the power forward to every spot he coaches. Taj gets a 2.5 out of 5 for impact.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin looks like any confidence he had is depleted. This is the second game where he has a free lane to the basket and hesitates, causing a missed field goal instead of a highlight. He looked especially out of sorts in a play where he tried to post up but slipped, then missed an open jumper on the ensuing inbounds play. He only played 8 minutes, but this is getting worrisome.
I’m not jumping off the cliff for Obi yet. I hope we retain Kenny Payne to work with the big man in the offseason. As CP said on the show last night, this is a redshirt year for Toppin. I realize that people point at Toppin’s age to say, “it’s too late for that.” But I don’t see it this way. He’s a late bloomer with athletic gifts that can’t be taught. Footwork, ball handling, decision making, jumpers…players can build that stuff for their entire career. You can teach a guy the mobility and leaping ability Obi inherited from his high-flying father.
Kevin Knox: Knox got a brief look of about 6 minutes in the first half. He didn’t get touches or force the issue. That made Knox little more than a floor spacer that never got to shoot in his first meaningful minutes for quite some time. Stay ready kid…you could get a Frank, comeback moment too.
Establishing a culture of winning brought to you by Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau: The Knicks roster was down to a 7-man rotation thanks to injuries. Tom Thibodeau is navigating tricky slopes and doing a commendable job. I love that he gave Burks a quick hook early when the chemistry looked shaky. Thibodeau got the offense going with Bullock back and stuck to that unit for the start of the third quarter. Making Julius Randle the defacto playmaker paid huge dividends and kept the pressure off of Burks and Frank. Those two could play their own games while Randle, the team’s star, expanded his own.
On my nitpick list…Frank getting benched after making two key plays in the fourth quarter. I described the play above. Ntilikina made a stop almost on his own and then knocked down a clutch three for the lead. Thibs made an offensive sub after to bring Alec Burks back out. Then didn’t switch Frank back in on defense. I really think that inaction led to Evan Fournier’s near comeback for Orlando. But then again, extra points to Thibodeau for trusting Frank even after a one-point first-half.
The Knicks’ next-man-up mentality is never more apparent than when role players step up. Reggie Bullock going for twenty and Frank Ntilikina hitting three triples are perfect examples. But even stars like Julius Randle and RJ Barrett seem to recognize when they need to step up. There’s a subtlety to the trust factor we see in these guys. Frank missed jumpers and looked timid, but Randle and RJ kept passing to him. Taj Gibson and Nerlens Noel boxed out instead of chasing boards. That stuff reflects the players and the coach alike…the culture of the Knicks as a whole. Tom Thibodeau gets a 4 out of 5 in this one.
Closing Thoughts: That was fun! It was stressful for sure, but I enjoy these nail-biters just as much as a blowout. The Knicks just let two games slip away from contenders thanks to late-game execution. While they flirted with disaster again, they came away with the win. I’m glad that they got another chance to deal with pressure and adversity because they’re just building more grit. Burks and Bullock hit key shots in the fourth, where they had missed some open ones in the prior losses. Frank Ntilikina went from looking terrified in the first half to making the game’s biggest three-pointer. The fact that those three are being mentioned in the clutch shows Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett trusted their teammates even after losses.
I mentioned culture a moment ago. I’m honestly stuck on that thought. These Knicks remind me of the old school teams for playing physical basketball in an era of flash and foul calls. They trust each other and their system. You won’t see a more exuberant celebration than how these players mobbed Reggie Bullock for making that last steal. He probably needed that moment more than anyone else. These guys play until they’re exhausted but finish with a smile. They’re having fun…I love it!
The schedule from here is looking like a nightmare. They’ve got tough opponent after tough opponent to deal with. There will be some battles ahead, and the team desperately needs to get healthy because players are starting to look exhausted late. But I’ll come right back to culture because I trust that these guys have each others’ backs. They’ll ride for each other and the team before they worry about individual accolades. That can make a tired man push for one more possession…just like Reggie Bullock did last night. We’ve got a two-day break before the next one. I’ll see you there fam!
Stay tuned to knicksfantv.com for the latest Knicks news and rumors throughout the season and as the trade deadline approaches.
